Anesthesiology
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The authors investigated nationwide trends in opioid abuse or dependence during pregnancy and assessed the impact on maternal and obstetrical outcomes in the United States. ⋯ Opioid abuse or dependence during pregnancy is associated with considerable obstetrical morbidity and mortality, and its prevalence is dramatically increasing in the United States. Identifying preventive strategies and therapeutic interventions in pregnant women who abuse drugs are important priorities for clinicians and scientists.
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Tracheal intubation compromises mucus clearance and secretions accumulate inside the tracheal tube (TT). The aim of this study was to evaluate with a novel methodology TT luminal obstruction in critically ill patients. ⋯ TT luminal narrowing is a common finding and correlates with increased airflow resistance. The authors propose high-resolution CT as a novel technique to visualize and quantify secretions collected within the TT lumen.
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Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) contributes to sepsis pathogenesis such as deleterious systemic inflammation, cardiac dysfunction, and high mortality in animal studies. Mitochondrial dysfunction is a key molecular event that is associated with organ injury in sepsis. The role of TLR2 in sepsis-induced mitochondrial dysfunction remains unclear. ⋯ TLR2 signaling plays a critical role in mediating mitochondrial dysfunction in peritoneal leukocytes during polymicrobial sepsis.